Laurie
Solisz
June 2014
Laurie
Solisz
,
RN
ICU
Saint Alphonsus Medical Center
Baker City
,
OR
United States

 

 

 

Laurie was monitoring a telemetry patient. The patient was in Afib and had an uncontrolled rate of 130-140 bpm. Laurie noticed that, although the doctor had been in to see the patient, there were no orders to address the heart rate, and the doctor had noted a rate in the 90's. Laurie became aware that the nurses and aides on the floor were charting a heart rate that was taken from a finger probe pulse oxymeter. Although a note had been made in the patients chart by the previous telemetry RN's, the doctor was not aware of the actual heart rate and rhythm. Laurie called the MD and an order for medication was written. Laurie then discovered (on her own) a way to ensure that the telemetry monitor information could be found in the patients chart and seen by the patient's MD. She developed an instruction sheet and a checklist so the other telemetry RN's could also make sure the telemetry monitor information flowed into the patient chart.